Pipestone Flyer
A group of New Sarepta moms want a place for their children to play.
During the May 13 Leduc County council meeting, the New Sarepta Family Enrichment Association made a plea to council to help the get a community playground a picnic area built in the community.
“We are a group of moms in New Sarepta who need more facilities and programs in our community, “ said spokesperson Jillian Borynec. “One of the things we’d really, really like to see is a public playground.”
All of the moms who spoke to council have children under five years old. Currently, the only place for their kids to play is at the elementary school playground. However, they cannot be on the equipment when the school-aged children are let out for recesces and the equipment is not built for small children. Prior to the opening of the new agriplex, there was a small playground on that site, but it had to be torn down to accommodate parking, said Borynec, and there are no plans to rebuild it.
The Association would like to see an accessible, multi-age playground with picnic area built in the community so the more than 300 children in New Sarepta and the surrounding area have free access to play.
In addition to play structures for everyone from toddlers to older children, the Association would like to install adult fitness equipment in the park ‘so when our kids are playing their parents can be working out,” said Borynec.
Using a $250,000 budget outline, the Association has located two lots on which to place the playground if they can get approval.
The preferred site is located on 1.02 acres and is a lot that was formerly set aside for a seniors centre. There are derelict buildings on the property but its central location downtown and it’s size means it could accommodate the Assocation’s plans for a playground and picnic area as well as the future development of a splash park in the community.
“It’s easy to locate and it revitalizes that area of town,” said Borynec.
The second location is half an acre in the Lions Park.
“It allows for the park we’d like to build but no future development.”
The other drawback to the site is that parking would be an issue during school or agriplex events and would involve the removal of some mature trees on the lot. It is currently owned by Leduc County.
Financing for the project would be done through grants, fund raising, in-kind donations and sponsorships.
The Association is asking for the County’s assistance financially as well as with maintaining the park, which they would like to see built next year but are realistically looking at having it open two years from now.
Council accepted the report for information at this time.